Each visit to Palate Culinary Studio leaves patrons enveloped with an aroma of fresh bread. And now, Rakhee Vaswani has launched the Palate Culinary Academy spread across 1,800 sq.ft. “It is a culinary and patisserie entrepreneurial centre that will double up as a chef’s playground and an event space,” she says. This academy is the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality’s first centre in India. It’s the first establishment to be given accreditation to start a ten-week certificate award course. Students will ace knife skills, cook meat and seafood, learn everything from filleting to butchering, and even baking. “It is a 360-degree intensive course, with 90 hours of practicals,” says Vaswani. “We have the required A.V. and library room.”
The other course offered is the ten-week Patisserie Diploma, certified by Manipal City & Guilds. It’s a full-fledged baking and confectionary course with three months of hands-on learning sessions, and another three at an internship. It ensures that students get the understanding of working in a professional kitchen. There’s also a vegetarian culinary course along with a Palate Bakery course and a shorter Boutique Bakery course of ten weeks.
The academy has roped in chefs Kshama Prabhu and Gaurav Gidwani of Bar Stock Exchange as part of the regular faculty. There’s also chef Shashi Mahesh, a culinary teacher with more than 25 years of experience. “I will be inviting international and celebrity chefs as guest lecturers too,” adds Vaswani.
In her opinion, cooking classes and courses go beyond being hobbies, and today people want to pursue it as a profession. “The studio continues to target all food enthusiasts, but the academy will have a niche audience since it offers professional courses,” says Vaswani, who wants to give amateur chefs a platform to gain practical knowledge, as per international standards.
The Palate Culinary Academy, Bandra (West); 9819520095 / 9820295221
